Finnish Labour Temple

Coordinates: 48°25′56″N 89°13′48″W / 48.43222°N 89.23000°W / 48.43222; -89.23000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Finnish Labour Temple
As seen from the intersection of Bay and Algoma
Map
General information
TypeHall
Location314 Bay Street
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates48°25′56″N 89°13′48″W / 48.43222°N 89.23000°W / 48.43222; -89.23000
Current tenantsThe Hoito
Construction started1908
CompletedMarch 1910
Design and construction
Architect(s)C.W. Wheeler
Official nameFinnish Labour Temple National Historic Site of Canada
Designated2011

The Finnish Labour Temple (also known as the Big Finn Hall or Finlandia Club) is a

Finnish quarter in Thunder Bay, Ontario
.

Built in 1910, the Finnish Labour Temple was at one point one of the largest workers'

Bay Street Film Festival.[1]

Construction

The construction of the Finnish Labour Temple was initiated by two organizations, the Finnish-American Workers' League Imatra #9 and the "Uusi Yritys" or New Attempt

blueprints
for the hall had already been prepared in early December 1908 by architect C.W. Wheeler. The building opened its doors to the public in March 1910, holding three consecutive days of opening ceremonies.

The inscription on the top of the building reads "Labor Omnia Vincet," meaning "labour conquers all."

Early Labour Temple activity, 1910–1914

The Finnish Labour Temple in 1910

Already in 1910, the hall was referred to as the "Port Arthur Finnish Socialist's Local Temple" as the socialist local had become the majority share holder in the hall and was connected to the Port Arthur Branch of the Socialist Party of Canada. The Temperance Society had basically become a committee of the socialist local. By December 1910, however, foreign language locals of the Socialist Party had been expelled from the party. In 1911, a new organization called the Finnish Socialist Organization of Canada had been formed, which then became affiliated to the Social Democratic Party of Canada.[2]

In January 1910, during the first annual meeting of the Finnish Building Company, the membership voted to rent the downstairs of the hall to the Finnish Publishing Company, who occupied the basement until the summer of 1912 when it moved to its own building next door. Of note, was the first Finnish-Canadian newspaper Työkansa (The Working People), which was published by the Finnish Publishing Company. Between 1910 and 1914, the basement of the hall also housed several co-operative restaurants and a billiards room.

On September 12–17, 1910, the

Trades and Labour Congress of Canada held its annual convention at the Finnish Labour Temple complementing the "industry, thrift and co-operative spirit" of the Finnish community in the commemorative booklet given to convention delegates.[3]

The First World War and the communist/syndicalist split

During the

First World War, the foreign-language affiliates of the Social Democratic Party were declared illegal by the Canadian Government. This led to many difficulties as several Finnish-language newspapers were banned and leading organizers were arrested. At this time, many Finnish workers joined the rapidly emerging One Big Union and the regional support group
became the majority share holder of the Finnish Building Company.

In 1919, a split occurred at the One Big Union National Convention held at the Finnish Labour Temple.

Winnipeg General Strike and the collapse of the One Big Union.[5][6]

The Finnish Wobblies—1919 to the 1960s

Striking lumber workers outside the Finnish Labour Temple, 1933

The syndicalist oriented Finns remained affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the auxiliary organization, Canadan Teollisuusunionistinen Kannatusliitto (Canadian Industrial Worker Support Circle or CTKL). This was the group responsible for establishing and operating the Hoito Restaurant as well as establishing a chain of People's Co-operative stores in the region. The Finnish Labour Temple acted as the Canadian IWW administrative offices for several years and housed the Canadian news service headquarters for the Industrialisti, the Finnish-language daily newspaper of the IWW. The Finnish Wobblies were also able to pay off the mortgage on the building.

The IWW competed for the hearts and minds of members with the communist-dominated unions, and held union locals well into the 1940s. With the younger generation rapidly being assimilated into dominant Canadian society, the IWW and CTKL in Northwestern Ontario became friendship and

Kronstadt uprising
.

The Finnish Labour Temple today

Front façade

The Finnish Labour Temple remains a highly visible local landmark and a symbol of the city. The Temple is the last remaining Finnish cultural centre in Canada, and has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[7] In 2015 a ceremony was held to install a plaque marking the Finnish Labour Temple as a National Historic site.

St. Urho's Day
make the Finnish Labour Temple a distinctive tourist attraction in Thunder Bay. The Finnish Labour Temple was home to The Finlandia Association Of Thunder Bay, previous owner of the building, and other local companies such as The Walleye Magazine and Seek Tours.

In May 2020, because of outstanding debt, the Finlandia Association voted to liquidate its assets, including the hall.[8] A group - The Finlandia Co-operative - was created to raise money to buy the building,[9] but was unsuccessful.[10] In October 2020, the sale of the new building to a private owner was confirmed.[11] The new owner said he wanted to reopen The Hoito Restaurant and convert the rest of the building into "high-end apartments". It had been anticipated that the restaurant would reopen in early summer 2022.

However, during the early evening hours of December 22, 2021, amid on-going renovations, smoke could be seen billowing from the rooftop, and The Hoito restaurant suffered extensive damage when a massive fire burned through the Finnish Labour Temple building above.

By mid-February 2022 the remains of the building destroyed in the fire were completely demolished and removed from the site. The property owner anticipates rebuilding and recreating the former façade of the structure including the iconic cupola. It is also anticipated that the Hoito restaurant would be re-established on the main floor of the new building and not in the basement as it existed previously.[12]

On March 3, 2022 it was announced that the time capsule hidden in the foundation during construction in 1909 was recovered and would be opened at a special ceremony at a later date.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bay Street Film Festival (2007). "Festival Catalogue 2007 Edition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  2. ^ Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society (2007). "Finnish settlement in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada". Archived from the original on 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  3. ^ Marc Metsaranta, ed. (1989). "Project Bay Street: Activities of Finnish-Canadians in Thunder Bay before 1915 (Thunder Bay: Thunder Bay Finnish-Canadian Historical Society". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  5. ^ a b "Excerpt from "Archival Sources for the Study of Finnish Canadians"". my.tbaytel.net. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  6. ISBN 9781604861167
    .
  7. ^ "Finnish Labour Temple National Historic Site of Canada".
  8. ^ Diaczuk, Doug (21 May 2020). "Finlandia Association votes to liquidate corporation". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  9. ^ Walters, Jeff (26 May 2020). "Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay looks to take over Hoito, Finlandia Hall". cbc.ca. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. ^ Rinne, Gary (12 August 2020). "Finlandia Co-op's effort to bid for Finnish Labour Temple falls short". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  11. ^ Diaczuk, Doug (25 September 2020). "Finnish Labour Temple to undergo changes with new owner". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Owner begins rebuilding process after Finnish Labour Temple fire". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Finnish Labour Temple time capsule recovered safely". tbnewswatch.com. Dougall Media. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

External links

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